The Qi2 standard has been recently announced by the Wireless Power Consortium, the overarching body that manages the standards that go into wireless charging used by all phones to make a more harmonious experience. Anker, which has been at the forefront of charging tech for the last decade is of course one of the first companies to jump on this new tech, with its new range of MagGo accessories.
Currently, the only phones that can use this tech to full effect are Apple’s iPhones, which since the iPhone 12 series have included most of the components that make up the new Qi2 standard, namely the ring of magnets that Apple has dubbed MagSafe. Although Qi2 is being rolled out into more phones in the future, so Anker’s MagGo accessories should become even more useful.
There are several new MagGo accessories in the range – including its MagGo 10K Power Bank that we are looking at here. It might not look all that different from previous power banks, but there is a little more than meets the eye.
Anker MagGo 10K: Specifications
Anker MagGo 10K: Price
At $89.99 / £89.99, the Anker MagGo 10K is a little above some other 10K wireless power banks out there, although it does offer a few extras like Qi2 certified 15W MagSafe and a little built-in power screen. I am not sure these are enough though to tip the scales over similar options, although Anker regularly has discounts on its products on Amazon and its own site, so you might be able to wait for a deal.
Anker MagGo 10K: Design & Handling
The Anker MagGo 10K Power Bank is not worlds away from all of Anker’s previous iterations of power banks (or other brands for that matter), but it does elevate the design a little over what has come before.
New features include a small screen on the side of the power bank that gives a useful and colorful visual check on how much power is remaining in the bank, both as a percentage and as an estimation of how long the battery has left charging at the current speed. This is very useful and trumps other systems of sequential LED lights. I do wish this screen did more though. On Anker’s more powerful Prime power banks, the screen gives a little more contextual information like exact charging speed, number of recharge cycles, and battery health.
The flick-out stand in the back is also a very simple but very effective way to prop the phone up for keeping an eye on incoming messages or turning the phone on its side to watch videos. There have been more complicated ways of doing this, but the stand on this MagGo is strong and stable, and in my couple of weeks of using it, hasn’t collapsed or toppled once.
The power bank overall though is not the lightest or slimmest power bank you can get. There is a price to pay to get 10,000mAh, plus 15W wireless changing, and not have the whole thing overheat, so there isn’t really much Anker could do, but this is just about at the limit of what I would considerable a pocketable power bank to keep on the back of a phone. Less feature-packed power banks, with slower wireless charging or smaller batteries, might be more suitable if bulk is a major concern for you.
Anker MagGo 10K: Performance
Performance on this power bank is good, I managed to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max in just under 3 hours on average, going from low single digits to fully charged. Unfortunately as mentioned earlier, the screen readout doesn’t tell you exactly what speed the phone is drawing from the power bank, so it is hard to know if the Qi2 certification is having much of an effect over other power banks. Other older power banks have completed recharges in similar times, so the difference gained might be marginal. If you are looking for a brand new power bank, I would think about getting a more future-proofed Qi2 power bank, but if you already have older power banks, I don’t think it is worth upgrading them just to get Qi2.
The MagGo 10K power bank managed about one and a third recharges of my iPhone 15 Pro Max using wireless charging, which is a little disappointing but around what I expected based on using other similar power banks. I was hoping that the new Qi2 standards or better engineering might have approved wireless charging inefficiencies though. The power bank did get a little warm, but not to the degree that was bothersome.
Wireless charging can definitely be quite inefficient, and I managed to get a little more juice out of the battery by using a wired connection, with closer to two full charges. My iPhone 14 Pro Max also charged much faster in a little under two hours as it can take advantage of a 27W draw, which is nearly double that of wireless power available from the MagGo.
The MagGo 10K took around two and half hours to recharge itself, although you can also use the MagGo with passthrough power, charging the power bank and attach a phone to wirelessly charge at the same time (although this did take about 30 seconds to kick in each time when first connecting). I do have slight concern about what doing this on a regular basis might do to the longevity of the power bank cells though.
Anker MagGo 10K: Verdict
The Anker MagGo 10K Power Bank is one of the most advanced power banks you can get, there isn’t much that Anker didn’t throw into this power bank with fast Qi2 wireless charging, 27W wired charging, decent 10,000mAh capacity, a battery monitor screen and a flick-out stand. Unfortunately with all this juicy tech, it does mean that the power bank verges on the heavier and larger side, but I think it is just about light enough to carry attached to a phone day-to-day, although those with smaller phones, hands, or pockets might struggle more.
Performance is solid. The power bank had no issues charging my iPhone wirelessly in around 3 hours without getting too hot, although I am not convinced that Qi2 certification offers all that much over prior non-certified power banks. Charging via the faster wired connection shaved an hour off my charging time.
Overall if you are looking for a power bank that does it all then the Anker MagGo 10K Power Bank is a safe bet.
